About Me

Amanda:I've always had a love of cooking. As a teenager, when most of my friends were watching sitcoms, I was watching Food Network. I was always experimenting on my family with my "creations." Recently I have found a new passion in food. I now follow the principles of Weston A. Price Foundation, using Real Food when I cook. I've eliminated processed foods from my life. I don't use too many measurements when I cook, just a lot of love.

I have opened up this blog to my family and some friends, so there will be a lot of recipes to enjoy. As always, please leave comments, and suggestions. If you try one of our recipes, please let us know what you thought of it! To find out more about me, visit my personal blog here.

Contributing Cooks:

Julie:One of my wonderful sister-in-laws. Shes a great mom of two. She and I share a passion for food. One of her favorite weekend spots is to go hang out at the gourmet supermarket to take in the sights! You can visit her personal blog here.

Karen:My Momma. Yes, I'm almost 30 and call her Momma. She encouraged my love for food by helping me cook many dinners while I was growing up. I cooked spaghetti so many times, that to this day, we are both "tired" of it. But back then she never complained.

Jules:I met Jules in the blogsphere and fell in love with her blog, Far from the Sticks. Here is a little more about her in her own words: I grew up in the wilds of New Hampshire. After college I went in search of warmth and sun and ended up in San Diego. In Feb. '09 I moved to Ankara, Turkey with my fiance. Officially I am now an ex-pat. I am currently butchering Turkish in my attempt to learn it, but have had more success with the food. I pounce at any chance to try a new dish, and have few boundaries when it comes to what I won't eat. Through my exeriences I am learning the intricacies of a cuisine that varies from Mediterranean to Anatolian. Growing up I never imagined this particular adventure but nonetheless am excited for what is to come.

Recipes I want to try

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Saturday, June 25, 2011

Homemade Ginger Ale

I saw these recipes the other day and knew they were right up Amanda’s alley! My dad is undergoing some really hardcore chemo, and has been suffering from nausea. He told me that Ginger Ale helped, but I didn’t think that Canada D*y would have a ton of actual ginger in it (which is actually scientifically proven to combat nausea.) So I decided to whip up a batch myself. On the Crumpets and Cakes blog I found two great recipes. One instant and without yeast, and one with yeast. I decided to avoid the fermented recipe for my dad, instead I made the second, faster Ginger Ale recipe. I will report--it seemed to help with the nausea, which is good for everyone now and again. However I will also point out that I loved it too!! It was a little spicy, just a little sweet and really refreshing. The best thing is that you can adjust how much of the ginger syrup to put in the soda water—so it can be as spicy or mild as you would like!

Directions:Combine ginger, sugar and water in a saucepan. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes, until sugar is dissolved and ginger is softened.

Strain warm syrup and allow to cool. Fill a tall glass with ice, add 1 part(used 2oz shot glass) of ginger syrup and 3 parts of club soda. Squeeze lime and lemon wedge into glass. Use more syrup if desired. Garnish with mint. Stir and enjoy.

clean 2L plastic bottle, funnel, patience Directions:Through a funnel add sugar and yeast to a plastic bottle. Mix grated ginger root and lemon juice and then transfer it to a bottle, add water to fill it half way and shake well to mix all ingredients. Add more water, leaving about an inch head space, screw the cap on and shake again. You can also mix all the ingredients in a jar and then transfer to a plastic bottle. Leave in a warm place for about two days and then transfer to refrigerator, to stop fermentation process. Refrigerate overnight. Pour it through a strainer and enjoy!

3 comments:

Jules- I'm sorry to hear about your dad having to go under chemo! That is rough. I wouldn't shy away from lacto-fermented drinks though because the probiotics would be beneficial, that is of course his doctors specifically say nothing fermented such as yogurts, beers, fermented cheeses. I don't know much about chemo, so I'm not trying to give medical advice!

The recipes you posted look great! I like ginger when cooking but I haven't found any ginger drink that I like! Store bought or homemade, but ginger does have lots of health benefits. I hope the homemade ginger ale is helping your dad while he is going through chemo.

Hi Amanda,I love ginger normally so I really like this drink. Normally I wouldn't worry about the fermentation from the yeast, it does have lots of really great probiotics, which are ok for him to ingest. However, his stomach was so off that I was not sure about introducing something he had not had before. He has a break from chemo for two weeks now, so I will make that drink and have him try it in a couple of days when he is more normal. Since I will now be on Kitchen duty I will be cooking (and posting) more! Hopefully!